Madura

MaduraOne of the key road stops on the road across the
Nullarbor
Madura is located 1255 km from Perth and 529 km from Norseman.
Another roadhouse on the seemingly endless drive across the
Nullarbor Plain it offers 24 hour fuel, a motel and caravan park, a
restaurant and bar, and the luxury of desalinated fresh water.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Madura is the pass to
the west of the town. People travelling from Western Australia who
have, for hundreds of kilometres, believed that they were on a
totally flat plain, suddenly find themselves descending quite
steeply onto the coastal plain.

Given the loneliness and isolation of the area it is remarkable
that it was first settled in 1876 by some crazy entrepreneur who
bred horses which were mustered, taken to the coast, and shipped
across to India to be used by the British Army. The same thing
occurred around Cervantes in the Central West.

Ask at the roadhouse for directions to the Mullamullang Caves
which lie to the northwest of the settlement and which are
reputedly larger than the caves at Cocklebiddy. Ask also for
directions to the old Madura Homestead which lie to the west of the
roadhouse on an old dirt road.